Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-24
JAMES wHuTCoMB RILEY.
The "Blind Sign Writer "-H0w the
Indiana Poet Forced Himself Int
Notice.

From the New York Tribune.
Tho applause which followed the appearance OF
James whitcomb Riley, the Indiana poet,t tat the
recent convention Of authors In New York has
naturally attracted attention to him and has lent
additional interest to his early life and to career
which, while attended by many vcissitudes. always
had, like Riley himself its comic side, and distin-
guished him from those with whom he associated.
Riley is a native Of Hancock County, Indiana, and
Is now about thirty-nve years of age. His early
education was limited, not because his father was
wanting either In means or the desire to give him
classical education, but because the son pre-
ferred pursuit less dry than porting over books
and wading through the decensions and cOnJuga-
his school days were completed the young Riley
abandoned his books and took up tho trade OF q
~ isn;painter and soon began travelling from place
brought him money enough to pay for the nights
lodging. Even his signs partook Of hts comic
expressions were entirely original and served TO
attract attention TO him and his work.
Nature gave to Riley peculiar pair Of eyes. and
they often served him In his summer tramps over
the country as o painter. He would frequently
enter town as blind sign writer and solicit work
while being guided from house to house by boy,
and when his ability to 90 the work was questioned
ne demanded q trial. Running hts hand over the
surface a. II to take the dimensions the "blind
out effort write the sign while the people would
gather around him and express the greatest aston
isnmens at the accuracy OF the work on one Of
OF patent medicine and for q time the two trav-
eied together, Riley amusing the crowds with his
panic ana comic songs and sayings as "ths medi;
catholicon and sold 1t to the people. AS a sign
painter, Riley became perfectly familiar with the
phlsticated, and thus laid the foundation OF his
future success as writer OF dialect prose and
poetry.
Riley's frst productions appeared in print be-
tween 1873 and 1876, but they attracted little at
tent10n because their publication was limited to
the country press, the author not being able to
reach the public through the periodicals OF larger
circulation and more cultured readers. Believing
that his writings possessed merit and were re-
1ected by the publishers Of periodicals simply be-
cause the author was. without q name among
writer's, Riley hit upon plan to bring himself into
public notice and TO prove that his productions
without fame with the consent Of the editor Of
the kokomo Dispatch, he published q short poem
which was an excellent imitation OF Edgar A. POe's
poem had been found written on the blank leaf Of
a book once belonging to Poe and found by a rela.
tive Of the deceased poet who moved
ago. The poem and the tue Accompanying
statement OF It's discovery were reproduced by
many papers and heated discussion was the re-
ttonably the work Of Poe and others that, while
strfkingly similar, 1T was wanting In some OF the
essentials fnaf distinguished shed Poe from all other
the book in which the poem was alleged to have
been written and the truth came out.
Though Riley was severely criticised, the en-
com1ulns which the poem received from those who
really believed that It was the production OF Edgar
A. Poe, convinced him that he himself was lacking
more In name than in merit as q writer, and he
soon after secured employment on the Journal, OF
indianapolis, at moderate salary, and while thus
engaged wrote the most Of his dialect verse.
Within the last few years he has contributed a
number OF pieces for eastern periodicals and has
published book OF selections, in which, however,
the piece In Imitation or Poe's style does not ap
pear.